hamilton temple

Last Saturday we took a trip to the Hamilton Temple. It is about a 2 hour drive from our place in Devonport. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints we try to attend the temple frequently. We go to church every Sunday for regular meetings but going to the temple is a bit different and special. It is also a bit harder to coordinate with kids because going to the temple is an adult only activity. Thankfully we were able to coordinate with our friends the Sasulus to exchange babysitting while we each attended a temple session.

It was a lovely and glorious day. We were worried about cold and rain but the weather was perfect. Chasing around our kids under the age of 2 1/2 kept us on our toes. But the kids all had a great time exploring the temple grounds and Max and Maya did quite well with staying awake almost two hours past their nap time.

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We took the long way home and drove through yet another beautiful little town near the beach with an amazing inlet.

two bike riders

A few weeks ago, we posted a video of the kids riding bikes (a trike in Max's case). We recently bought a new balance bike to help Max keep up with Maya. Here are some photos from a recent ride.

At this age, they don't ride for longer than 10 minutes without ditching their bikes and walking but we were able to go further that we could with the trike.

Max and Maya always like to sit on the bench in the bus shelter at the end of the street. They call it their bus house.

Max didn't appreciate Lonnie stealing his bike for a ride.

Maya is the more accomplished bike rider. On our way home she rode very fast down this hill. Thankfully she crashed into some tall grass and wasn't hurt, she only seemed amused. In this photo she is giving Max a few pointers.

weekly activites

We finally had a healthy week so we have been enjoying all of our weekly activities! It was a very busy week.

Monday and Friday we went to Playcentre and the kids had a great time playing with water, paint and clay. They also climbed and raced. They were exhausted by the time they got home.

Tuesday we went to church where the moms of young kids have music group and toddler soccer. The kids love singing and running around with their friends. Maya's favorite song is Jack in the Box, she likes to practice her jumping (she hasn't gotten both feet off the ground but it isn't for lack of trying). Max especially loves the parachute at the end of soccer.

Wednesday we went to the local community center toddler play group called "Bells & Whistles". Imagine a huge open room filled with all the toys a child could ever want....slides, trains, play kitchens, tents, bikes,etc. Every Wednesday the toddlers of Devonport get to play while the adults visit.

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Normally Thursday is our day at home, but a wonderful woman in our ward, whose children are all in school, has offered to coordinate a cooperative play group. We are going to take turns dropping off our kids. I love my little ones and most activities are more fun when they are around, but there are things that are more enjoyable without the additional appendages. I stayed and played with the kids for a little while and then I ran off to do some errands. I picked up the kids new balance bike (bike post to come) we ordered months ago, and I even bought a new pair of shoes.

putting on a show

Last Friday we invited some friends over for dinner. These friends also happen to be members of the Polkadots. Their daughter Brooklyn is a couple months younger than Max and Maya. The kids had a great time together standing on top of the coffee table and dancing. They put on quite a show.

helmets

Max and Maya love riding bikes. Maya has gotten so brave and fast that it was time for a helmet. I was a bit worried that they wouldn't want to wear them. But I guess I didn't need to worry because they haven't wanted to take them off since we brought them home.

Max and Maya wanted to put their helmets under their shirts so they could pretend they were pregnant. (And no, they didn't get that idea from me.)

As soon as they woke up the next morning they put them right back on again.

kiwi word of the week

cattery- An establishment where cats are kept and bred.

This word may not be New Zealand specific, but I had never heard it before and Lonnie and I thought it was pretty entertaining. We have seen it on signs all over New Zealand. I think in the US we would just all it a cat kennel.

dolphins and giraffes

Lonnie saw a pod of dolphins in the bay near our house while he was riding the ferry to work on Monday. The kids got pretty excited when I told them about it. Then Max just had to one-up his dad so he said that he saw giraffes in the water, and elephants too. Since Monday every time we drive past the little bay (which we do at least twice a day) Max has said "Daddy dolphins, Max and Maya giraffe and elephant". He is sticking to his story.

I can only guess what the picture in his mind looks like, but maybe it is something like this....

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polkadots

Max and Maya went to their first concert yesterday....The Polkadots! There was singing, dancing and kids rushing the stage. Thankfully the kids were all too short to be able to climb up on the stage, so the performers were able to continue on with the show. We should have brought our camera but sometimes we have a hard enough time just keeping track of our kids so we decided to leave it at home.

The Polkadots are a fun educational and performing group. Their website has some great material, check it out.

lights show

While we didn't have fireworks for the 4th of July. We get to see this every night. We have had other posts showing pictures our surroundings, and we certainly haven't been shy in expressing our enjoyment of the beautiful views. Well, Lonnie has been talking for awhile about getting some night photos toward downtown Auckland from Stanley Bay, which is along the road that leads to our neighborhood. Conditions for taking the photos seemed just about perfect the other night, so here are a few shots of what we see when driving home at night. The view is good enough to make you want to pull over and make-out. Thankfully, our house is just one minute up the road.

banana bread

Not surprisingly, shortly after I made this post about my kids being pretty good eaters they both decided to go on strike (it probably didn't help that they were sick). I guess I asked for it. I had heard somewhere that kids are more willing to eat food that they help cook. It doesn't take much, just letting the kids see what I am doing or letting them stir or add ingredients seems to be enough to help them feel involved. It has seemed to help the kids be more willing to try new foods and it is also fun.

Max loves to peel bananas, so he was pretty excited about his job.

Here is a link to our Banana Banana Bread recipe.